Creating Better Deer Habitat w/ Invasive Species Management

Reclaiming habitat for native plants is one of my favorite habitat management strategies to implement. It's also one of the strategies I see the most immediate impact from in regards to increasing wildlife carrying capacity, particularly for deer. I get it, sometimes the task can look daunting. But I can assure you that it's worth the effort. Here's an area on the farm I tackled this past fall that was rank with buckthorn. The hard work is already paying dividends.
For more about Purpose-Filled Habitat Management, check out my website at www.pfhabitat....
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* For foliar treatment of buckthorn I treat them with a 5% solution of Triclopyr 4. For cut stump I treat the stump with a 25% solution of Triclopyr 4/ 75% diesel or crop oil. I like to mix in applicator dye with both solutions to see where I'm spraying easier. You end up using less chemical if you mix in dye.

[@joesparacino5529]

Finally someone is talking buckthorn!!! Great video!! Great content keep ‘em coming!!

[@PFHabitat]

Haha I got plenty of content on buckthorn! Unfortunately I have more potential buckthorn jobs than I have time for. Nasty garbage! Thanks for watching

[@kurtcaramanidis5705]

Love the diversity of habitat in that area.

[@PFHabitat]

Thanks Kurt, it is a sweet little corner. One of those spots I should have honed in on sooner. So much to do and so little time to do it!

[@kcaa3953]

Buckthorn is good firewood too. We cut it, season it, and toss it in the woodstove. You get the satisfaction of cutting the garbage out and then the fun of burning it down to ash!

[@PFHabitat]

That does sound very satisfying!

[@EpicWhitetailHabitatLLC]

Great video, Sam!

[@PFHabitat]

Thanks Ryan, I love projects like this!

[@garyhalverson5607]

great video, thanks!

[@PFHabitat]

Thanks for watching Gary!

[@midwestplantgeeks8643]

Weather in our area has been seasonally warm with no snow cover. Still killing buckthorn every week mid December and with natives fully dormant can cover a lot of ground quickly. However, have to be able to distinguish from look a likes

[@PFHabitat]

That's great to hear, keep at it! We've had phenomenal weather up here to. I'm hoping to find some time to get after more buckthorn this winter as well

[@TheWoodSnob]

If you're cutting bigger buckthorn in the winter, how do you recommend treating it so it doesn't resprout?

[@PFHabitat]

I prefer cut stump. Cut and treat the stump with 25% triclopyr 4/75% diesel mix

[@TheWoodSnob]

@@PFHabitat Even this time of year in MN? I thought I recalled you in another video saying it wouldn't work.

[@PFHabitat]

You can chemically treat buckthorn in the winter when you're using an oil based product like triclopyr. If you look at the MN DNR website they talk about this. I still favor the warmer days. The time you want to avoid treating buckthorn is late winter through June during the sap flow period

[@db7outdoors987]

Great video. Have you ever used a forest mulcher on the buckthorn and foliage spray the year after? Thanks.

[@PFHabitat]

Thanks! And yes I have! We've done several projects like that. Mulch in the spring and then come back in July and boom spray after it sprouts back. Spot spray the following couple years and you're golden. Great way to reclaim your woods. I have some video saved I'll post at some point showing a project like that

[@db7outdoors987]

@PFHabitat thanks for the reply. I love the videos; the best on Utube. I have about 10 acres that is full of buckthorn that I need to reclaim. The previous owners let it get way out of control.

[@PFHabitat]

@db7outdoors987 I appreciate that! Yah that sounds like a great scenario to bust out the mulcher. It's expensive up front but worth it to be able to reclaim your woods.

[@nathaniellarson8]

Woodworkers like big buckthorn

[@PFHabitat]

Well they can come and cut as much as they want! :)

[@nathaniellarson8]

@@PFHabitat I save my 5-8" trunks for them.

[@PFHabitat]

I could see the appeal. The larger healthier trees do have a pretty grain to them

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

Will the seeds on the dead stuff still be viable?

[@PFHabitat]

They seeds are viable once the flesh rots away. I hope I got to these before the seed was viable since they weren't quite dropping yet but they could be given they were starting to wrinkle. That's one benefit to going after buckthorn in July. Seeds are still green then.

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

@@PFHabitat always great info! Thank you!

[@PFHabitat]

@@tfrost33elkhunter no prob, thanks for watching!

[@nathaniellarson8]

A recent study came out that said 90% of Buckthorn seeds germinate in the first year, so we at least have that going for us.

[@PFHabitat]

@nathaniellarson8 I read that too and was really excited. It's 97% the 1st year so even better! Very encouraging to see as someone who kills a ton of it